The GO2 study found that lowering the intensity of chemotherapy may increase quality of life without significantly compromising survival among older and frail patients with advanced gastroesophageal cancers. It started out by asking patients themselves what degree of compromise they would be...
Patients who had advanced gastroesophageal cancer but were considered unsuitable for full-dose chemotherapy because of their advanced age and/or frailty “had an improved patient experience with no significant detriment in cancer control” when treated with reduced-intensity chemotherapy in the phase ...
With completion of the Human Genome Project, medicine hit a turning point that enabled scientists to approach genetic diseases like cancer with new tools such as disruptive technologies like CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) gene editing. Progress in this novel...
Cancer care is one of the most technical and scientific of all medical disciplines. Oncologists must keep abreast of a dizzying array of novel treatment options coming out of the laboratory while delivering empathetic care for the physical and emotional needs of their patients with cancer....
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Foundation has announced its FIFTY for FIFTY fundraising and awareness campaign in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act. With this campaign, the AACR Foundation is committing to raise at least $50,000 for the AACR and...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute announced that The Rossy Foundation has committed $10 million to establish the David Liposarcoma Research Initiative. The 5-year initiative will conduct groundbreaking research into liposarcoma at Dana-Farber and external collaborating partner institutions, with the aim ...
Judy E. Garber, MD, PhD, FAACR, Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will receive the Association of American Cancer Institute’s (AACI) Distinguished Scientist Award on October 20, during the 2021 AACI/Cancer Center Administrators Forum...
Lakshmanan Krishnamurti, MD, has been named Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology for Yale’s Department of Pediatrics and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, effective October 1, 2021. Dr. Krishnamurti is a pediatric hematologist oncologist and an international leader in bone marrow...
Barbara Burtness, MD, Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), has been appointed Interim Associate Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Yale Cancer Center. “Dr. Burtness’ leadership and innovative ideas will ensure that we emphasize an inclusive culture, with increased diversity in...
The ASCO Post is pleased to continue this occasional special focus on the worldwide cancer burden. In this issue, we feature a close look at the cancer incidence and mortality rates in South Africa. The aim of this special feature is to highlight the global cancer burden for various countries of...
Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic, talks about the fact that despite strides in lung cancer treatment, more than 60% of the world’s patients with the disease are in countries with relatively scarce medical resources, where less than 50% of patients are screened. There is a great need, says ...
Matthew Smeltzer, PhD, of the University of Memphis, discusses a study of 171 trials in 45 countries that saw reduced enrollment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the recommended steps to remove barriers and improve participation are more flexibility in allowing telehealth visits with...
Patients coping with lung cancer treated at one hospital in Mexico reported high levels of anxiety and saw their treatment delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study presented by Oscar Arrieta, MD, at the 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World...
Enrollment in lung cancer clinical trials declined by 43% during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research presented by Smeltzer et al at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Abstract PL02.09). IASLC Survey To assess the impact...
Five European countries rank highest for lung cancer risk attributable to air pollution among those aged 50 to 69 years, according to research presented by Berg et al in the Presidential Symposium Plenary Session at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2021 World...
I read with great interest the results from the phase II ZUMA-12 study of axicabtagene ciloleucel, presented during the 2020 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.1 But the results raised several questions for me. Axicabtagene ciloleucel, an autologous anti-CD19...
A genomic analysis of lung cancer in people with no history of smoking has found that a majority of these tumors arise from the accumulation of mutations caused by natural processes in the body. This study was conducted by an international team led by researchers at the National Cancer Institute...
A retrospective analysis of large data sets of biomarkers from tumors and healthy tissue by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center Convergence Institute suggests that older patients with cancer may benefit as much from cancer immunotherapies as younger patients. The findings,...
Four independent studies published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology demonstrate that rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate directed against delta-like protein 3 (DLL3), is not effective against small cell lung cancer (SCLC). An accompanying editorial by...
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the tragedy of patients dying in isolation, separated from family and friends to limit infection in hospital settings. The process has altered the experience of serious illness for patients and their loved ones, including their ability to grieve, share important...
Requirements instituted to address racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial enrollment did not lead to increased inclusion of Black and Hispanic participants in clinical acute leukemia research, according to a new study published by Andrew Hantel, MD, and colleagues in the journal Blood...
The inherited condition neurofibromatosis type 1, or NF1, is responsible for the development of benign tumors that grow along the nerves; in some individuals, however, these benign tumors transform into aggressive and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Determining whether this transformation ...
In the phase II PEMDAC study, researchers showed that the combination of the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor entinostat resulted in durable responses in a small group of patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. These findings were published by Ny et al in...
A set of compounds developed by scientists at Scripps Research target estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells in new ways, potentially creating better options for patients with treatment-resistant cancers. More information on these dual-mechanism estrogen receptor inhibitors was published by Min et...
On August 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved zanubrutinib (Brukinsa), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, for adult patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. ASPEN Trial Zanubrutinib was investigated in ASPEN (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03053440), a randomized,...
On August 31, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revised the label for the anti–PD-1 therapy pembrolizumab for its indication in first-line advanced urothelial carcinoma. The FDA converted the indication from an accelerated approval to a full approval. In addition, as part of the label...
Infants whose mothers were obese during pregnancy may have a heightened risk of developing colorectal cancer later in life, according to new research published by Murphy et al in the journal Gut. Obesity is already a well-established risk factor for colorectal cancer, and several studies suggest...
A cross-sectional survey of patients, caregivers, and physicians on the diagnosis and treatment of brain metastases, conducted by the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) as part of its Metastatic Brain Tumor Initiative, revealed disparities in practice patterns and communication around...
A recent study published by Ronden et al in JTO Clinical and Research Reports highlights the gap between treatment guidelines and real-world care with the monoclonal antibody durvalumab for patients with non–small cell lung cancer. Researchers studied treatment decision-making by three Dutch...
Patients with lymphoma or other lymphoid cancers should continue to take steps to protect themselves from COVID-19 even if they have been vaccinated against the disease, a new study by Jennifer Crombie, MD, and colleagues published in Blood Advances suggests. The study found that patients who had...
Muhamed Baljevic, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, reviews the outlook for treating patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, the rapidly expanding array of therapeutic options with novel mechanisms of action, and the challenges of sequencing treatments.
Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) announced significant updates to the NCCN: Cancer and COVID-19 Vaccination guidance. This is the fourth version of NCCN’s COVID-19 vaccination guide and incorporates the latest data plus recent approvals from the U.S. Food and Drug...
In a new study published by Hallet et al in JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, among patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), the risk of dying of cancer was higher than that of dying of other causes, but mortality varied by primary tumor site. According to the authors,...
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced that it has made the decision to voluntarily withdraw the U.S. accelerated approval for atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in combination with nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast...
A new study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic, breast cancer screening rates declined among women aged 50 to 74 years at 32 community health centers that serve lower-income populations in the United States. The report, published by Stacey A. Fedewa, PhD, and colleagues in the journal Cancer,...
Communication between patients and their primary care providers is key to ensuring effective cancer care, both before diagnosis and after treatment, according to two recent papers authored by University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center researchers. Although each study analyzed different stages of...
Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in patients with mental illnesses. Although individuals with mental illnesses are equally as vulnerable to cancer as the general population, they are at a much higher risk of cancer-related mortality. Owing to a lack of early screening in most cases, such...
Commonly used blood pressure drugs may improve survival for patients with colorectal cancer, a recent study published by Balkrishnan et al in Cancer Medicine suggests. After reviewing outcomes of almost 14,000 patients with colorectal cancer, researchers determined that angiotensin-converting...
A new study found that incidence rates for malignant brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors declined by 0.8% annually during 2008 through 2017 in the United States for all ages combined. The decline was driven by trends in adults, whereas rates have slightly increased by 0.5% to 0.7%...
On August 25, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ivosidenib (Tibsovo), a small-molecule inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1), for adult patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with an IDH1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved ...
Muhamed Baljevic, MD, of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, reviews the outlook for treating patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, the rapidly expanding array of therapeutic options with novel mechanisms of action, and the challenges of sequencing treatments.
A new joint ASCO guideline offers clinicians updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and treatment of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia caused by nonsurgical cancer therapies.1 The guidance was developed together by ASCO and the Multinational Association of Supportive...
Talk to anyone who knew Leland Chung, PhD, and you’ll hear the same descriptions of the famed scientist: warm, humble, gracious, brilliant, innovative. Dr. Chung, who served as Director of the Urologic Oncology Research Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer in Los Angeles for 12 years and was Professor in ...
Even before my breast cancer diagnosis in early 2002, the year was shaping up to be life-altering for me and my family. We had moved from Seattle to Houston for a new career opportunity for my husband and were just settling into our new home when I felt a pea-sized nodule in my left breast during a ...
The Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology has announced the appointment of Marcus Bosenberg, MD, PhD, as its inaugural Director. Dr. Bosenberg is Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, and Immunobiology; Co-Leader of the Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenetics Program in Yale Cancer Center; contact principal...
The International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) has honored Beth Karlan, MD, with its lifetime achievement award. The annual award is presented to individuals who have performed outstanding service and accomplishments that span their career in gynecologic oncology and who have contributed...
GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer (GO2 Foundation) presented Heather Wakelee, MD, FASCO, with the 2021 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award at the Physicians’ Education Resource 22nd Annual International Lung Cancer Congress on July 30 in Huntington Beach, California. Dr. Wakelee is Professor of...
Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, Executive Director, Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, and Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, was recently promoted to Professor of Radiation Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). “Grateful to those who paved the way,” said Dr. Winkfield on Twitter, noting...
Jay T. Bishoff, MD, has been named Director of Urology for Northwell Health’s Central New York Region, with oversight of urology sites in Nassau County and parts of eastern Queens. He also is Professor of Urology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Based at...
The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) has announced that Winette van der Graaf, MD, PhD, will be EORTC President-Elect 2021–2024. Bertrand Tombal, MD, PhD, will remain EORTC President until March 11, 2022, when the EORTC celebrates its 60th anniversary. Dr. van...